Forget Me Not
by destiny's sweet melody
Summary: Marinette March 2019 collection. Marinette had a tendency to take on too much in an effort to please everybody. Usually, her friends accepted it, because it was the way things worked. But, suddenly, she seemed to be fading before their eyes, falling apart bit by bit. So, bit by bit, they put her back together again.
1. Pay It Back In Kind

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir_ or anything else recognizable contained in this fic.

**A/N: **I know these monthly challenges are more for tumblrs, but I couldn't resist writing for one of my favorite characters ever just because I'm too lazy to have a blog! And since _Chameleon _still gives me war flashbacks, here are all the characters drinking their Appreciate Marinette Juice!

The chapters will be drabble-y, since I'm working on two other fics at the time, each will be focused on a different character (with some repeats, since there's less than thirty-one kids in the class), but they will be interconnected.

I decided to not really focus on any of the ships, but I included canon couples like DJWifi and Ivan/Mylène, as well as practically canon but we can't really say it like Juleka/Rose, and there will be Love Square Shenanigans but no real development. So, like in canon.

I'm always behind on this show (as of writing this, I've only watched until _Weredad_), so by the time this fic is finished, seventy percent of this will probably be proven false, but whatever! I'll try my best to make it interesting, at least.

**Warnings: **None really, but I add chapter specific warnings when necessary. There is the _smallest _inkling of PTSD in this chapter, though.

* * *

**Summary:** Marinette March 2019 collection. Marinette had a tendency to take on too much in an effort to please everybody. Usually, her friends accepted it, because it was the way things worked. But, suddenly, she seemed to be fading before their eyes, falling apart bit by bit. So, bit by bit, they put her back together again.

* * *

**Day One: Kindness.** _Ivan_; in which somebody actually notices that Marinette is Not Okay.

* * *

**Forget Me Not**

**1: Pay It Back In Kind**

Marinette had always been a giver. Even before she met Alya and started coming out of her shell, she would always bring sweets from her parents' patisserie to share, offer to help the others with classwork, and she had been the only one to approach Ivan after he was akumatized.

She had always been kind and giving and a had a tendency to take on more than she could handle in order to please everyone. She always managed to do everything well and on time, so it was easy enough to ignore when she started to pile duty upon duty on herself.

The bags under her eyes, the running into class late, the sudden jolting in fright when she suddenly remembered something she had to do. . . not even the occasional swaying on her feet was cause for alarm.

Nobody really noticed anything until she snapped at Lila over a _party_.

"Absolutely not," Marinette seethed with more anger than Ivan had ever heard from her. Not even when Chloé put gum in her hair when they were eight. "We do not have school dances in France!"

"Sometimes, we do," Rose chirped innocently. "My cousin's class put on a dance for her school last year."

"Yeah, they're in right now, thanks to all those Hollywood movies" Juleka smiled supportively and placed a hand on the short blonde's shoulder. "Besides, they look rad. What's wrong with upending tradition to have some fun?"

Marinette pursed her lips, which was stranger still. It never took much to get her to bend to her friends' wills. And she seemed to bend even more easily for Juleka, since she knew how long it had taken her to learn to speak up for herself. But now, she just glared icily, her face almost stone.

"We'd have to fund it ourselves, the school would never go for it."

"They would if Chloé orders them to," Alix pointed out and they all turned to the girl in question in unison.

The Bourgeois only scoffed, tapping her nails on her desk, "I will do no such thing! You want your peasant party, you make it happen yourselves."

Ivan was sure she was just disagreeing with them because she enjoyed being contrary.

Alya wrapped her arms around Marinette's shoulders, "We can get the money no problem! We've managed more difficult things before!"

Which was true. Marinette couldn't argue against that. But she still tried, "It wouldn't be fair to the other classes if we have a dance and they don't."

"Then we invite them, too," Nino shrugged easily.

"We'd have to raise four times as much!"

Lila sighed deeply, one of her hands rising to her chest, "I'm sorry if it's too much trouble. I was just remembering my time in the United States and was feeling nostalgic. But if it's too much for our class president to pull off, then I'll accept it. I'm sorry that I got all your hopes up."

Marinette flushed brilliantly, her nostrils flaring in anger before shouting, "Fine! You want your dumb dance, I'll give you your dumb dance!"

She shrugged Alya off of her before turning on her heel and marching out the door. A thick silence remained in her place.

For the first time, Ivan, who preferred to blend in the background lest someone accuse him of wanting to hurt them if he looked at them too long, spoke up, "That was weird, right?"

"Marinette's never liked me," Lila whimpered, dabbing a handkerchief at her eyes even though Ivan couldn't actually see any tears.

"Marinette likes everyone." Ivan's face scrunched up before amending. "She's _kind_ to everyone. She doesn't just snap like that."

Especially not to her friends. But no one made a move to figure out what had caused that reaction. Not even Alya. Ivan sighed dramatically and moved towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Mylène called after him.

He offered her a small smile, "I'll be right back."

* * *

The thing was, in the moment the class turned to look at Chloé, Ivan remained looking at Marinette. And in that one, unguarded moment, the look in her eyes had changed from icy defiance to something else entirely. And Ivan recognized that broken, haunted look. It was the same look he saw in the mirror for weeks after he'd become Stoneheart. It was the same look Alix had after realizing she had killed most of their class as Timebreaker. Even if Ladybug thankfully undid their wrongdoings, and even if they had no memory of them, it was still a heavy burden to bear.

But that was ridiculous, because Marinette was practically the only person that had never been akumatized, or caused an akumatization. No matter what Chloé used to say about her indirectly creating akumas. Just because she had encouraged him to approach Mylène, didn't mean she was at fault when his crush freaked out because he screamed in her face. A skilled singer he was not, but Mylène had learned to appreciate his efforts.

The dark haired girl was sitting with her back against the lockers, her legs curled up to her chest, and he was struck with the familiarity of the scene as he approached. Except their positions had been reversed the last time.

"Hey," he offered carefully.

Marinette seemed to jump in her skin, before looking up at him from behind her fringe, "Hey."

She even _sounded_ like she did before. Quiet and shy and careful. Nothing like the proud and courageous Marinette he had come to know since akumas started appearing. He kneeled beside her, unsure of how to give comfort.

"You, uh, you kind of freaked out a bit in there."

Marinette flinched and curled further into herself. _Okay, wrong way to start._

"I just meant, you must be stressed, right? It's really not fair for them to ask you to do even more."

Mylène had been excited at the prospect of a dance as well, but he was sure she would agree with him.

She sighed, a long and weary sound, and then stretched her legs out. She looked up and offered him a smile, "It's okay, they're just excited." She shrugged before rising to her feet, her exhaustion seeming to disappear before his eyes. "You're right, I _am_ tired, but that will pass. If I can do this one thing to make them all happy, then I'd be glad to do it!"

"Are you sure? No one will blame you for wanting to take things easy."

Marinette snorted, as if he had just said a joke, "It's not that big a deal, it's just. . ."

"Yeah?" he prompted, when her smile faded into that same haunted look.

"It's just, you remember that akuma from three weeks ago? The one that made people see things?"

"Oracular," he nodded, waiting for her to continue. He didn't browse the Ladyblog like the others did, so he wasn't entirely sure what the story behind that akuma was. He knew it was something about a fraudulent psychic being outed as a fake on TV. Her power had been some sort of beam from her crystal ball that made people freeze in place see _things_. Some people laughed, others cried, some showed no reaction at all.

Mylène had gotten struck by the beam, and she told him what she had seen was beautiful. His girlfriend had been there because her father was supposed to appear on the show as a guest. He didn't think Marinette had been there, but maybe she had gone to show her support.

"Did you get hit by her blast?" Sometimes, Ivan thought it was unfair that the bystanders had to keep their horrible memories while the ex-akumas themselves could trick themselves into believing it had never happened.

Marinette swallowed thickly and nodded, "It was - I -"

She shook her head and then smiled brilliantly at him, "It was nothing, don't worry! It wasn't the first akuma I faced and it won't be the last! I'll get over it soon enough." Adjusting the straps on her backpack she nodded confidently at him, "Tell the others I'll get the funding for that dance!"

Skipping towards the exit, she stopped suddenly and turned back to him. He was surprised to see tears in her eyes, even though her smile was still blinding in its intensity, "Thank you for coming to see me, Ivan. I hope you and Mylène and your five kids are happy together!"

She was gone before he could finish rebooting. "What do you mean _five kids!_"

* * *

**A/N:** There's a plot, I promise! It's mostly going to be dealing with the fallout of Oracular's attack - which _will_ be explained, but, you know, _drama_ \- but that last bit of dialogue is probably a dead giveaway as to what her power was.

So, I've been told school dances aren't really a _thing_ in France like they are in the US, but they _have_ happened because, as Juleka said, American movies have made them popular and lots of schools in different countries want to have one. But, the students do generally have to get the funding themselves.

I'm not sure how the updating will go. I work weekends, but now I have a car and don't have a two hour route back and forth, so I might actually be able to pull off daily updates. As long as I'm not given the night shift again, since the dead of night is when I write the most.

Please review and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody


	2. Bunny Rabbits

**A/N: **Originally, this was going to be Kim's day, because I wanted them to have that Asian Solidarity that is common in real life but isn't brought up at all in the show. But then my brain decided there should be consequences to what she said last chapter.

Besides, Tiny Girl Solidarity is also a thing!

**To CeCetheFandomQue:** Ivan seems so precious, I wish we could see more of that on the show!

**Thank you to everyone** who added this story to their alerts, and/or favorites!

* * *

**Day Two: Pre-Origins.** _Mylène;_ in which secrets are secrets, even if no one tells you they are secrets.

* * *

**Forget Me Not**

**2: Bunny Rabbits**

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" Mylène tried to growl, but it came out more like a squeak. She had never been very intimidating, and when the designer turned to her, she only smiled in surprise.

"Hey, Mylène, how are you?"

The shorter girl felt her cheeks flush at Marinette's unconcerned tone. She could be intimidating! Just like Ivan taught her! It was all in the attitude!

She crossed her arms and pouted, "You told Ivan about my dream!"

Marinette only blinked, her head tilting curiously to the side, "I thought you had."

"Of course, I didn't! How are you supposed to tell your boyfriend of less than a year that you dream about having babies with him!"

"But," she tapped her chin. "If it's going to happen, it's better he knows now. That way he has more time to come to terms with it. You know how he is."

"Exactly! You know how he is! And he's been freaking out about it since you told him!"

Marinette waved a hand uncaringly, and for a moment, Mylène was jealous of the way she had changed. Once, they had both been fearful, quiet girls. The smallest and easiest targets to pick on, which the others instantly honed in on. At the very beginning, they had stuck to each other like glue. Two tiny girls desperately trying to protect each other against the world.

But then, something had shifted. Because Mylène was tiny and quiet, but Marinette was tiny and quiet and _weird_. She liked searching for bugs, and pretending she was a knight instead of a princess, and sometimes she started speaking a strange language that they later learned was wenzhounese, but at the time just sounded _weird_.

And Mylène, much to her shame, had happily left Marinette to be the weird girl so she could be normal. Ignored and friendless for the most part, but undisturbed.

Once, they had both been little bunny rabbits, quiet and fearful and easily spooked.

Now though. . . Mylène was still a bunny rabbit, but Marinette was a dragon. Brilliant, strong, confident, and unafraid. Especially of bunnies.

"I am - I am very disappointed in you!"

"Oh my," Marinette smiled uncertainly. "That's the meanest thing I've ever heard you say."

"I - I mean it! I told you that in confidence. You had no right to tell him that."

The blue eyed girl finally stopped smiling, her shoulders drooping almost instantly. "I'm sorry, I really thought you had told him. I mean, if I knew I was going to have five kids with my beloved boyfriend, I would tell him."

"I don't _know_, it was just a dream!"

"It was a vision," Marinette said with certainty, her brows furrowing and her lips pulling into a frown. Then a fire sparked in her eyes just as quickly as the sorrow did, "And it was a wonderful vision! Why would you hide it from him?"

Mylène felt herself frown. It was way too early to talk about kids, but, sometimes it was hard not to think about the difficulties they might have some day. "Ivan is. . . scared. . . of kids. I mean, not _of kids_. But, how he'd be with kids. You know how the others used to run away from him. Sometimes, he's afraid of his kids being like him."

"Oh," Marinette responded barely audibly.

"Yeah, oh. Besides, you don't _know_ it was a vision. She was a fake psychic, after all. Why would akuma powers make her actually clairvoyant?"

"Why could Stormy Weather cause a hurricane?" the designer shrugged. "Does anything about akumas make sense? But, I am sorry. I really did think you had told him."

Mylène sighed, "I know you didn't do it maliciously. I was just upset and. . ." It was easier to blame Marinette than face the fact that _kids_ might break her relationship when she was still at least a decade away from even trying for one.

"I understand," Marinette smiled sadly at her, her shoulders slumped like she had the weight of the world on them.

She remembered what Ivan had told her about Marinette being hit by Oracular's attack. She couldn't remember seeing the designer there, couldn't imagine why Marinette hadn't approached her, but seeing the weary look on her face, the slouch in her posture, the bags under her eyes. . . Mylène understood what Ivan meant.

Marinette seemed _haunted_. She wondered what the usually cheerful girl had seen, that she was so sure it was the future, and that she didn't seem happy about it at all.

"I'll go talk to him!" Marinette's voice was cheerful and buoyant once again, but now that Mylène knew what to look for, she could tell it was fake. "I think I can help him. Or, at least, lead him to help."

"You can?"

When Marinette grinned, she looked like a dragon. But not a scary one. She looked like a wise and gentle one that taught innocent kids valuable lessons in after school specials.

"Mylène, have you _met_ my dad?"

* * *

**A/N: **This is shorter, but like I said, it was a last second thing. The actual plot will start next chapter.

For no real reason, I've always **headcanoned** Sabine as having been born in France, and that's why she goes so hard on the Chinese decorations/outfits, but not the cultural norms. (_cough*Shoes on inside the house*cough)_ As the child of immigrants myself, I know they make a point of their kids learning the local language as their first language, even as they teach them their native language. And since according to her backstory, Sabine's family is from Wenzhou, she would speak Wenzhounese, which is called the Devil's Language even amongst speakers of other Chinese dialects. Which might explain the language barrier between Marinette and her great-Uncle, who speaks primarily Mandarin, if her mother taught her Wenzhounese.

Please review, and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody


	3. BitterSweet

**A/N: **I'm sure everybody else came up with something cute for this day, and here I am!

**To Guest:** Oh, you guessed the vision in the first try! But, don't worry, this is very much a Defy Fate story. There are no unhappy endings here lol

**To Um(Guest):** Not at all, it's pretty much a personal choice at this point. I actually wear slippers or just walk around barefoot indoors while everybody else wears shoes. And thank you!

**Thank you to everybody** that added this story to their favorites and/or alerts!

* * *

**Day Three: Tea Time.** _Alya and Alix;_ in which life is too short to pretend you like bitter things.

* * *

**Forget Me Not**

**3: Bitter/Sweet**

"That's ridiculous," Alya crossed her arms over her chest. "Marinette isn't depressed! She's just overworked, like usual."

Mylène frowned thoughtfully, "If you're sure."

"Of course I am! I'm her best friend!"

"That doesn't mean you know what's going on in her head," Alix pointed out. "I don't think she's the type of person to just come out and say 'I'm depressed', either."

Alya frowned, offended that they could think she wouldn't so much as notice if Marinette was suffering. It wasn't like it would be hard to notice. The designer was always so expressive with her emotions, that Alya was sure that the most minute change in her mood would easily be noted.

"I pay attention to her," the redhead said defensively.

"No one said you didn't," Alix once again pointed out the obvious.

She didn't mean anything, she wasn't accusing Alya of anything. Intellectually, Alya knew that. But there was something about the entire conversation that was rubbing her the wrong way.

Marinette had never complained about their friendship, but her old friends in Martinique used to. They said she tended to focus on her own interests over the people around her, to the point that she completely ignored them. _'It's like we might as well not even be friends!'_ Loreena had yelled when her grandmother died and Alya didn't find out until three days later.

She was working on improving that, but. . . _maybe_ she was a little too involved with the Ladyblog to really pay attention to her friends.

Alya didn't think she was, but the possibility that she was, as small as it may be, made her stomach twist, "She's just tired, and I'll prove it to you!"

She spun and began walking away from them while pulling her phone out, texting her best friend to find out where she was. She heard Mylène call out a goodbye, but Alix was suddenly jogging next to her. She frowned, picking up speed as she became determined to find out the truth.

* * *

"Thanks for inviting me," Marinette smiled sweetly. "Even if it was a bit out of the blue."

Alya threw an arm over the shorter girl's shoulders, "It's no big deal, we hang out together all the time, don't we?"

Alix snorted from beside them and Alya frowned. She wasn't trying to _prove_ anything. It was just a statement of fact.

"Besides, you seemed like you could use a pick me up, so what's better than coffee?"

With her arms around Marinette's shoulders, Alya could feel the way she cringed. Blue eyes flicked towards her before Marinette bit her lip, "Oh, yeah, thanks."

Alya frowned. That. . . was weird.

Shrugging, she stepped forward to the barista and ordered their usual while Marinette and Alix waited on the side.

"You okay?" she heard the pink haired girl ask with an unusual amount of softness.

Marinette nodded hurriedly, "It's just. . ."

Her voice faded into nothingness and then their orders were ready.

Alya pasted an extra bright smile on her face as she skipped over to her friends and offered them their drinks. Alix nodded in thanks as she took her caramel mocha latte with extra whipped cream and chocolate shavings, sipping at her sweet monstrosity without a care. Marinette was slower to take her cappuccino, and once she did, she only held the cup in her hands, staring at it as if she had never seen a cup before. Alya figured it might be too warm - Marinette always took twice as long to drink her coffee - but she didn't even blow at it. Just stared.

"You okay there?" the redhead asked carefully.

Marinette pursed her lips, and her shoulders shook as tears began to fill her eyes. Alya panicked, but before she could even begin to ask what was wrong, the designer wailed, "I hate coffee!"

Alix jumped and almost dropped her cup. Alya only stared confusedly.

"Wha- what do you mean you hate coffee? We get coffee at least twice a week!"

The entire cafe turned to stare as tears began streaming down Marinette's face, her voice rising in pitch, "I only started drinking it because you liked it and I didn't want to disappoint you! I _hate_ coffee! It's bitter, and too hot, and why do we have to pretend we like getting our taste buds burned off in the name of looking cool? I like sweet things! Life is filled with too many terrible things to waste it pretending we like drinking tar!"

Her chest was heaving, the cappuccino threatening to spill over in her trembling hands. Alya blushed as she noticed the barista and the probable owner giving them twin death glares. There was a beat of silence, and then Alix snorted, tossing her already empty cup over her shoulder and making it into the wastebasket.

"Don't worry," she grinned and took Marinette's cup. "I've got you."

* * *

Alya tapped her fingers impatiently against the frilly lace tablecloth. The walls were painted a sunset pink, the gentle sounds of a harp coming from the speakers on the walls. The waitresses were all dressed in flowing sundresses in baby blues and snowy whites. Marinette seemed much calmer as she sipped at her peppermint tea.

Alix was grinning victoriously as she devoured a plate of sugar cookies.

"I didn't imagine you in a place like this," Alya grumped.

"Why? I can't like rollerblades _and_ sweets?"

The redhead huffed at the implication that she was stereotyping her friends.

"Alix liked unicorns when we were younger," Marinette offered quietly.

Alya raised an incredulous brow, but Alix only shrugged uncaringly, "It's a four hundred kilogram creature with a preinstalled sword. What's not to like?" Then she grinned deviously, "History like that is how we know each other so well."

Alya frowned petulantly but ignored the jab. Instead, she turned to Marinette, "You know you didn't have to pretend to like coffee just to be my friend, right?"

"I do. . . now," Marinette took a careful sip before setting the cup down and laying her hands on the table. She stared at them as she spoke slowly, "I had never had a best friend before you. I just wanted to make sure I didn't lose you."

Alya felt her heart constrict and even Alix shifted uncomfortably in her seat. After all, given their _history_, there was no reason for Alya to be Marinette's best friend.

"Don't worry," she reached to grab her hand. "You won't lose me."

"Or any of us," Alix reached for her other hand.

Marinette smiled at them, but it wasn't the same bright smile she usually gave. Alya forced herself to smile back, even as a plan formulated in her head. This wasn't just about coffee, and she was going to figure out what was going on.

* * *

**A/N: **Originally, I wasn't going to combine any characters in a single chapter, but Alix demanded somebody fix the coffee disaster. Also, Baby Horse Girl Alix wasn't something I had thought of before, but now I have a mighty need.

Please review and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody!


	4. Lullaby

**A/N: **Double post because I'm already late and it's only the fourth day! We're off to a prodigious start. But, I'm the family pack mule, and when my sister decided literally from one day to the other that she was going to another country, guess who had to go drop her and her family off at the airport?

* * *

**Day Four: Affection. **_Nino;_ in which music works better than words.

* * *

**Forget Me Not**

**4: Lullaby**

Marinette was doing this thing where she was staring intently at something but not really seeing anything. Nino understood that, he was a master at that. He used to do it all the time, when he preferred to ignore his surroundings in favor of listening to music. Which, he would still argue, was a perfectly reasonable use of his time.

Except Marinette wasn't listening to music. She wasn't listening to anything. And he understood why Alya and the others were worried.

Being told about her freak out in a coffee shop was worrying in its own right. But, secretly, he agreed with Alix. It was kind of silly to think Marinette of all people would like coffee. Sugar practically ran in her veins! When she bored of sweets, she turned to mellow or even spicy foods. She didn't even like sour candy because it was too bitter!

The staring into nothingness, however, that was worrying.

Marinette had a tendency to daydream or ignore classes in favor of doodling or sketching, but she didn't often look completely zoned out. Her face utterly emotionless; she could be asleep, were it not for her eyes being wide open.

_Still_, Nino thought, _it could just be exhaustion._

He wasn't sure about _everything_ Marinette did in a single day, but he knew it was a lot. Aside from all the usual schoolwork, she also had her duties as class president, which were added to since she had decided to make the school dance happen after all. Then she helped her parents in the bakery, took commissions for outfits on the internet, did customizations for her neighbors, and occasionally babysat.

And that was just what he was aware of. Alya was always complaining that Marinette was so busy that it was like she disappeared from existence for hours at a time.

Nino didn't know much about psychology, and wasn't sure how to tell if somebody had depression or not. But he could deal with exhaustion. There was no better cure for exhaustion than good music to relax to.

He walked over to the bench Marinette was sitting on and cleared his throat as he sat beside her. He didn't mean to startle her, but she still jumped in her seat before blinking confusedly at him.

"Oh, hey, Nino."

Now that everybody was talking about it, he actually _could_ note the tired quality of her voice. The cadence was completely different, she spoke slower, like she wasn't sure how to make words work. Ivan was right, he realized with a wince, it was like before Alya. Before she had anyone she could really call a friend, when she preferred to hide in a corner and avoid everybody's gaze rather than stand up for herself.

"S'up, Marinette?" he forced himself to smile at her. "You're looking a little tired there."

Red invaded her cheeks, "Yeah, everyone keeps saying that."

"Do you need any help with the dance stuff? You know you only have to ask, right?"

"No, no," she shook her head wildly. "I - it's not that. It's still in the planning stages so I haven't even really started working on it."

"Then what is it?" Nino asked carefully. He had never been one to shy from emotions, and he wasn't about to let her do so.

"It's nothing, really! I just haven't been sleeping well."

Nino frowned, but knew better than to push. If he pushed too hard, then she would simply pull away completely, throw up her walls and keep all her troubles inside herself until they suffocated her.

But there was more than one way to reach someone.

Marinette jumped again when he slipped his headphones over her head. He smiled soothingly at her when she turned surprised eyes towards him. Quickly scrolling through his playlists, he chose a calming, jazzy tune.

It wasn't to her usual tastes, and her face scrunched up in confusion for a moment. Nino watched as different emotions crossed over her face; puzzlement, melancholy, uncertainty, and finally contentment. Her entire body seemed to sigh as she relaxed.

He'd always liked the way Marinette could never seem to hide her emotions. That was one of the reasons she was targeted by Chloé so often. When she was sad, she cried. When she was happy, she smiled as brightly as the sun. When she was scared, she screamed like a banshee and punched whatever was nearest with a surprising amount of strength.

And her emotiveness was infectious. People couldn't really help but _feel_ something for Marinette, whether good or bad. And Nino had always felt good things about her. Even if he didn't have a crush on her anymore, she was still his friend. He still cared about her to an almost impossible degree.

It took only a few minutes before Marinette began swaying until her head fell on his shoulder.

Nino smiled, wrapping an arm around her so that she wouldn't fall over. He wasn't sure if it was just exhaustion, but he hoped it was. And he hoped this was the start of her recuperation.

* * *

**A/N: **IDK, I just feel like Nino is very empathetic. He's the only person that doesn't just assume Adrien is Chloé 2.0 at first. He has a crush on Marinette even though she didn't really seem to interact with anybody pre-Origins. And, of course, he's the first (only?) person to be akumatized on behalf of somebody else (Does Tom being akumatized because he's an overprotective papa count?).

Please review and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody


	5. Meanings

**A/N: **I had a bit of trouble with this day, but then had trouble stopping lol.

**To CeceTheFandomQue:** I love Luka, but I genuinely associate music more with Nino than him despite being a guitarist being his whole shtick. Not even sure why lol.

**Thanks to everyone **who is reading and added this story to their alerts and/or favorites!

* * *

**Day Five: Garden.** _Kim;_ in which there is déjà vu.

* * *

**Forget Me Not**

**5: Meanings**

Kim was having some serious déjà vu. The first time he had run into Marinette Dupain-Cheng, he _literally_ ran into Marinette Dupain-Cheng. They were only four years old at the time, he was only a few centimeters taller than the average sized toddler, and he had been calmly strolling through the park when he was bowled over by a pigtailed blur.

Later, he found out she was the daughter of the fancy patisserie across the park's owners.

At the moment, he could only focus on the fact that there was a significant amount of dirt in his mouth.

He would never admit, no matter how many times Marinette mentioned this part of the story, that he cried like a baby. But, yeah, he cried.

He cried so bad that his mẹ came over to loom suspiciously over the pigtailed menace. And said girl was looking like she was about cry herself. And, eventually, Sabine Cheng came out when she saw a mysterious woman looming threateningly over her frightened child.

And the tension of the moment sort of dissipated once the mothers started laughing about clumsy children. It took less than three minutes before they were chatting like they were old friends despite never having seen each other before.

Kim was left to sniffle on the sidelines once his mẹ lifted him up, dusted him off, and sent him off to play with Marinette. Like she wasn't the one that made him cry in the first place!

Sabine had left for a moment to bring them cookies, and Marinette offered him some dandelions she picked as an apology. When he only squinted suspiciously at her, she shyly slipped one over the back of his ear, "Sorry, I hope we can be friends."

They weren't. Not really. Their mothers were, so they saw each other all the time, and they tended to spend Lunar New Year together, but they weren't friends.

Kim grew fast, which meant all the boys wanted him on their various sports teams. He grew loud and confident and cocky, which meant the kids around him believed he had reason to be. Marinette stayed small. She grew quieter and shyer and introverted. She wasn't the type of person who could slip a flower behind a stranger's ear to be friendly. She became a ghost, and children usually didn't like ghosts.

And, of course, there was Chloé. The person Kim spent years wanting to get closer to, which meant he had to hate whoever she hated. And, for whatever reason, the blonde hated Marinette.

He never _hurt_ her. Not while his mẹ and her maman were still close friends, and his mẹ would twist his ear off if he hurt her. But, he wasn't her friend. Not until a decade later.

And now, a decade later, he was experiencing some serious déjà vu as dust filled his mouth because a pigtailed menace bowled into him in front of the Tom & Sabine Patisserie. At least he didn't fall face first on the ground this time. He just got smacked in the face with what seemed to be a sack filled with dirt.

_What even is this girl?_

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Marinette cried, looking around the sack, her wide eyes filled with distress. "What are you even doing here?"

"Last time I checked, this was a bakery," he snarked.

She blushed, looking contrite as she nibbled on her bottom lip. Shifting the sack onto her hip for leverage, she trained her sight on the ground, "Sorry. I can help you get cleaned up. And I'll bring you whatever you want, free of charge!"

Kim coughed, making a show of dusting the front of his shirt off. He usually got stuff for free anyway. Perks of having Sabine as an honorary aunt.

"What are _you_ doing carrying around sacks of dirt?"

"It's just one sack," Marinette defended. "And it's for my garden."

"Give it here," Kim sighed, holding his arms out for the sack. She hesitated for a moment, before handing it over. He followed her silently through the back entrance and up to the kitchen-living room area.

He thought she might stop him there, but she continued on to the stairs, "You can use the sink in my room."

Marinette was usually more private about her room - at least, she had always been with him - but he supposed he had already seen every embarrassing thing she had to offer up there when Jagged Stone exposed her crush to the world on live television. He snickered at the memory and hurried after her, prepared to give her some friendly ribbing only to be shocked by the austerity in the room. It wasn't just that the posters were gone. _Everything _was gone. There was nothing on her walls, all her little trinkets and decorations were missing, and even her sewing supplies were pushed haphazardly to a corner.

Kim must have been too shocked to notice her movement, because suddenly she was on her balcony, her voice coming down, "Can you bring that up here, please?"

He climbed up without a word and almost fell over as his feet tripped over a pot. While her room was empty, her balcony was filled to the brim with pots and rows of planters. There was barely any room to move!

"Wow," he managed to say, unsure what reaction was appropriate. Kim didn't know much about flowers. He could recognize a rose or a sunflower, because just about everyone could, but he wasn't the type of person that could name a random flower on the side of the road. Marinette, on the other hand, was the type of person that could tell you their name, what they symbolized, and some sort of herbal remedy they could be used in.

"Those are hydrangeas," she said suddenly, as if reading his mind, about the bluish-purple flower he almost tripped over. "Most people think they mean cold-heartedness, but they can mean friendship, too! You see how the flowers all clump together like that? It's like a group of friends, you know? Close together but not impeding each other's growths."

"That's nice," he mumbled, but he got the feeling she wasn't really speaking to him as she continued.

"Those are daffodils. They're also called narcissus, which is of course a sad story about unrequited love, but they mean rebirth and new beginnings. Even though Narcissus died, something beautiful continued after him. Don't you think that's wonderful?"

"Uh, yeah."

"And these are irises," she picked up a planter filled with white flowers. "These kind mean innocence, but they're named after the goddess Iris who sent messages between the worlds of the living and the dead. Isn't that nice?"

Kim felt unnerved suddenly and he wasn't sure why. It seemed like all these flowers had something negative about them. Cold-heartedness and unrequited love and death. He _didn't _think that was nice.

"What about those?" he asked instead. He pointed with the tip of his shoe towards a group of flowers that she had ignored.

"Those are self-explanatory," she smiled wanly at him. "Those are forget me nots."

* * *

**A/N: **Yes, this is _kind of_ where the title of the fic comes from. But, the reason she's obsessively planting flowers is the _actual meaning _behind the title of the fic. And that will be revealed relatively shortly.

Mẹ (can you see the difference in the 'e'? Because I barely can) is Vietnamese for "mother."

Let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody


	6. Tedious

**A/N: **Once again, I'm sure everyone else had cute ideas for this, and then I go and do this.

**Special Thanks to Mayuralover and OHHH (Guest)** Who have informed me that Kim is actually Vietnamese, not Korean. I apologize, I wasn't sure where to search for this info since when I searched for Alya's origin, the wiki didn't have it. I actually found it in TvTropes of all places. I went back and changed the chapter, which is just one word, so you don't really have to read it, but it was important to me to fix it!

Feel free to yell shame at me while chasing me with a little bell through the streets of King's Landing! (Also, forgive the _Game of Thrones_ allusion. I'm hyped about the new trailer and I hate myself for it)

**To CeceTheFandomQue:** I promise it'll make sense!

**To OHHH:** Thanks again! You were right! Also, I thought it was spelled like that, too, but I just went with the "official" translation (seeing as it's two different alphabets, it can't be exact).

**Thanks to everyone **that's reading, and those that added this fic to their favorites and/or alerts!

* * *

**Day Six: Creation.** _Sabrina; _in which small gestures go a long way.

* * *

**Forget Me Not**

**6: Tedious**

Sabrina had never been the center of attention. She was never the cutest, or the tallest, or the smartest, or the richest. There was very little that was unique about her. Her hair, her glasses, the fact that her dad was a police officer. But none of those were worth attention. Not really.

But, deep down, she was glad for it.

Being noticed was hard work, and sometimes it wasn't even worth it. Most of Chloé's reaches for notoriety usually ended with her having more enemies than friends.

Not even being a temporary miraculous hero could sway their classmates to the blonde's side.

It was tedious, trying to be popular, to be loved.

Marinette was liked by just about everyone, but even she seemed to be dragged down by it.

Sabrina wasn't a part of the class - the circle of friends that had been forged as they survived akuma after akuma - not really. As long as she stood by Chloé, she never would be. It was ridiculous! Kim and Max had helped Chloé all the time before - Kim because he had a crush, and Max because he was Kim's best friend - but they were welcomed with open arms. That she was loyal was to her detriment.

Still, she wasn't noticed, which meant she could overhear just about anything.

And she heard the way Ivan and Mylène worried about visions. The way Alya and Alix spoke of a meltdown over coffee. The way Kim was creeped out over flower meanings.

She heard their worries, and saw the signs.

The bags under her eyes. The tremor in her hands. The way she zoned out in class, in the lunch room, sometimes even standing up.

And still, Marinette persisted. She smiled and poured cheer into her voice whenever someone called her attention. She had been chasing Principal Damocles for three days as she tried to convince him to let them have the dance on school grounds. She still approached Sabrina when she was sitting alone in the courtyard - Chloé angry at her because she forgot to order some shoes online for her.

"I made this in art club," Marinette told her as she offered her a headband with a tiny, multi-colored top hat with a sparrow stitched onto the side. "It's a fascinator. I don't really want to sell it, but don't want to keep it."

Her smile dropped as Sabrina only stared, "Not that I mean I'm just giving it to you to get rid of it! I think it looks good with your hair!"

Screechy orange, Chloé had called it once. Not elegant auburn or even tomato red like Nathanaёl. Sabrina didn't think much went with her hair, and she certainly didn't want to draw attention to it.

Being the center of attention was tedious. But, looking at Marinette's hopeful smile, despite the weary look in her eyes, she decided she could handle a little bit of attention.

She took the fascinator and - slipping off her usual headband - placed it onto her head.

* * *

**A/N: **Just a short one since I had to update my other fic today and I have to go into work at 6 am tomorrow, and I'm dying! I might bring Sabrina back for another chapter to give her more focus.

**Sparrows** symbolize joy and protection, as well as simplicity and community.

Please review and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody


	7. A Reason

**A/N: **I have no excuse beyond capitalism sucks and I'm tired. This was always going to be a double post, because I kind of cheated and both chapters are the same character, but Marinette doesn't know that!

**To Guest1:** Yes! In fact, this is his chapter!

**To Guest2:** LOL I can't give spoilers, but I can promise a happy ending. :)

**To Hewwo: **I'm glad you understood! And it's so nice to know you like this fic enough to review multiple times, thank you!

**Thank you to everyone** who is still reading this even though I'm super late at updating! I apologize.

* * *

**Day Seven: Side Effects (of the Miraculous)**. _Adrien;_ in which there is enough cloud watching to make Nara Shikamaru proud.

* * *

**Forget Me Not**

**7: A Reason**

It was completely accidental, bumping into Marinette. Which should probably make Adrien worry that he wasn't a very good friend. Everybody was worried about her recently, but he hadn't really tried to see for himself what the problem was. Not that he didn't believe Nino and the others when they insisted something was wrong with Marinette. They had known her for far longer than he had, after all.

There were times when his classmates spoke about the designer and he didn't recognize the girl in their stories at all.

Like when they said she was acting like 'before.'

Adrien didn't know what 'before' meant. Neither did Alya, which made the redhead furious, which made her want to _know_. And, for some reason, she believed Adrien had a better chance of getting to the truth than she - Marinette's _best friend_ \- did.

Even though he didn't really agree, he was resolved to try. He just didn't really have a lot of free time. Marinette didn't either, for that matter.

It was completely coincidental that one of his photographer's favorite spots was the park across from the Dupain-Cheng's bakery. And that it was one of the rare days that everything went perfectly and they finished a shoot ahead of schedule. If Nathalie had been around, she would have made sure that he headed right back to the mansion because time was not to be wasted. But the only guardian he had that day was his bodyguard, who tended to look the other way whenever Adrien wanted a little free time.

To be honest, despite having time and being across from her home, checking on Marinette wasn't the first thing on his mind. It wasn't until he saw her lying on her back on the grass, bracketed on all sides by colorful flowers that he remembered there was something _weird_ going on.

For a moment, he thought she might be napping. But as he got closer, he saw that her eyes were open, half-lidded, looking up at the sky.

_Cloud watching_, he thought, his lips quirking up slightly.

He couldn't really think of a moment in which he saw Marinette just _relax_. She was always moving, always doing something. She was pure energy made flesh. Even now, lying perfectly still, he could swear she was vibrating, almost buzzing. But, surely, that was just a trick of his mind.

"This is nice," he said in greeting, plopping down beside her.

Marinette immediately tensed, her eyes widening. When she turned to face him, her face was dangerously red and he wondered just how long she had been cloud watching that she was that badly sunburned.

"Adrien! What - what are you doing here?"

He did his best to smile disarmingly, "I just finished a shoot and had some free time. I hope you don't mind me joining you."

"Of - of course not! You can - I mean, if you want, I. . . I don't mind," her voice slowly wound down into a whisper, and she turned back to the sky when she was done.

Adrien followed suit, looking up at the sky. He had always been good at seeing shapes in the clouds. Sometimes, when he was locked up in his room, before he had friends to text or play games online with, he would lie on the floor and watch the clouds through the large windows. It was easy, when you had nothing, to see entire worlds in the clouds.

It was still easy, but now it wasn't all just make-believe. He could see ladybugs, and tiny, flying cats, and Marinette's smile.

"Do you think everything happens for a reason?" Marinette asked quietly. She still wasn't looking at him and her voice was still low enough that he could barely hear her despite the lack of distance between them.

"Like fate?"

He liked to believe in fate. He liked to believe he was meant to be given his miraculous and that Ladybug was his soulmate. Sometimes, it seemed childish, but it was easier to believe in a higher power than to accept he was Chat Noir by random chance.

"Just in general," she explained. "Do you think things happen, even the bad things, and everyone is better for it?"

"I - I'm not sure," he admitted. "I mean, when my mother disappeared, I got a bunch of condolences saying everything would be okay or she's in a better place and things like that. I didn't really believe it, but things would be different if she were still here. I don't know, I guess maybe she babied me, or made me feel content enough that I didn't really fight to have anything more. If she was still here, I wouldn't have gone to school, I wouldn't have met you or Nino or anyone, and I don't think I'd be the same. And I'm not going to say good things have happened to me _because_ she's gone, I'm not going to pretend I wouldn't trade everything I have now to get her back, but. . . the thing is, I wouldn't be who I am now if she was still here."

Marinette hummed but didn't respond and he felt awkward suddenly.

"I'm sorry, that didn't actually answer your question, did it? I was just rambling there for a minute."

"No, that did, thank you," she looked over at him, and though she didn't smile, there was something _peaceful_ in her gaze. "Thank you for sharing that, I can't imagine it was easy."

He startled to realize that it was. It was easy talking about his mother to her, as easy as when they were hiding out in a movie theatre.

"Sometimes terrible things happen and no one can stop them," she continued slowly. "And even if it's sad, it can leave something good behind. Some part of you can continue, even if you can't. I think that's nice."

She finally smiled at him, soft and genuine, but he found himself incapable of smiling back. For some reason, her words and the serenity with which she said them made something cold coil deep in his stomach.

* * *

**A/N: **I honestly can't remember any real side effects Ladybug has in canon - not like Chat Noir's purring - so I went with fanon on this one. Give me Marinette getting high off flowers!

Please review and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody


	8. A Helping Hand

**A/N: **I know this prompt was basically made for a LadyNoir moment, and I promise there will be LadyNoir interaction at some point, but I have to do what the goblin in my head says. And it wanted MariChat.

* * *

**Day Eight: Partners.** _Chat Noir;_ in which the best intentions can lead to bad situations.

* * *

**Forget Me Not**

**8: A Helping Hand**

Marinette squinted suspiciously at the sight of him, which Chat Noir felt was uncalled for. The last time they saw each other, they had agreed they'd be friends, but now she was looking at him like a mangy stray that had snuck into the house. Which was kind of true. Except he wasn't mangy and he was invited.

Just not by Marinette.

"Your father offered to teach me to bake, after all," he reminded her.

"That was when he thought we were going to get married," she grumbled. He'd be insulted that she got over him so quickly, except she seemed more like herself now than she had in weeks. If teasing Chat Noir was what it took, then he'd gladly be her metaphorical punching bag.

"Besides, you looked tired when I passed by on patrol yesterday," he explained easily.

Marinette frowned and clenched her fists. Right, being told she looked bad by her ex-crush probably wasn't doing much to endear her to the idea of _Chat Noir, part-time patisserie employee!_

"I meant, overworked! Er, that is -"

Okay, there was no good way to say this.

"I know the bakery is always super busy, so I figured I could lend a helping paw or two." He waved his clawed hands in front of his face.

"That seems unsanitary."

Chat Noir gave an affronted gasp, "I'm not dirty!" Then, much more quietly, he added, "Also, your dad has me out front. He won't trust me with the oven since I managed to burn the croissants in under two minutes."

Marinette burst into a peal of laughter, before slapping her hands over her mouth. Her entire face was red as she apologized, "Sorry, it's nice of you to try."

_Oh yes,_ he thought, as he saw her be more like the girl that _he_ knew, rather than the mysterious, mousy girl his classmates spoke of. _It's definitely worth being a punching bag._

* * *

The idea was simple. Take Marinette's place as her parents' after school assistant - when possible, which, truth be told, wasn't often - and she would have more time to relax. Or, at the very least, be able to take her time with all her other responsibilities.

It was a simple enough plan that it was almost impossible to mess up.

But, well, he wasn't the chosen of bad luck for nothing.

He'd forgotten that while Chat Noir wasn't as popular as Ladybug, he was still a superhero. And 'not _as_ popular' for a superhero, still meant _pretty damned popular_. Popular enough that when word got out that he was working in the Dupain-Cheng's bakery, their sales skyrocketed. Lines formed from the door to the school. People were coming in at all hours, even when he wasn't there, just in case he might be.

Which was great for Tom and Sabine and their sales.

It wasn't that great for Marinette, who now had to help twice as much because there was simply not enough hands to get everything done.

There were bags under her eyes by the end of his second week!

"I'm sorry," Chat Noir wrung his hands in front of the frowning girl. Her hands were on her hips and she seemed about ready to deck the next person that spoke too loudly. He sort of hoped it would be a customer and not him. "I really thought this would help."

Marinette sighed loudly, her arms falling limply at her sides as the fight seemed to leave her. He panicked; this was the opposite of what he wanted! He wanted her to take some time for herself in order to recuperate, not give up!

Before he could offer any panicked excuses, her hands suddenly rose and landed on his shoulders. One side of her lips lifted into a half-smile, "I know, and thank you for trying. Please understand that I have to make a show so that they get the message."

He blinked confusedly, "Huh?"

Suddenly, her face was angry and she was pushing him backwards through the bakery's front door, bulldozing three would-be customers.

"Chat Noir, you're fired! Don't you ever come back!"

She absconded back into the building in a fury, muttered curses left in her wake. The area was strangely quiet for being so crowded. He heard the click of a camera and felt himself blush. He was never going to hear the end of this.

* * *

"That was not necessary," Tom pouted at his daughter over dinner.

"It kind of was," Sabine disagreed. "We couldn't keep up with demand, and if we hired too many new employees and it turned out to be a fad, then we'd end up losing money."

"I am not a fad," Chat Noir grumbled. He wasn't sure how being fired turned into being invited for dinner, but he wasn't about to complain.

"I know you're not, sweetie," Sabine reached over to pat his head. He did nothing to hide how much the action pleased him. "But the novelty of being served sweets by a superhero might be."

"Fair enough," he agreed. "The whole point was to make Marinette feel better, anyway, and I failed at that."

"I wouldn't say 'failed,'" Marinette smiled at him. "Firing you was the most fun I've had in weeks!"

He grinned toothily back at her, "Happy to be of service, Princess."

He was surprised to see her cheeks turn rosy, her smile becoming more fond for a moment, even as something sad filled her eyes.

"Does this mean the kittens are back on the table?" her father asked suddenly, and Chat Noir choked on his own spit.

* * *

**A/N: **The plan here is to **do double posts daily** so that I can catch up by Thursday. Am I going to be able to pull it off? Who knows! Definitely not me!

MariChat Trash (but also lowkey LadyNoir shipper) Tom is the most me. But, also, let the Dupain-Chengs informally adopt Chat Noir. And let MariChat have an awkward sort of flirty/sort of family relationship!

Please review and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody


	9. Dinner Date

**A/N: **Except for when the plot calls for it, Marinette's friends are Ride or Die, and I respect them for it.

**To CeceTheFabdinQue:** Well, about that... LOL. The vision is going to be revealed VERY soon, but of course it's major to affect Marinette so much. But, don't worry, you know I don't do well with unhappy endings. ;)

**To KrisKrat:** I'm glad you're enjoying the fic! And thanks for the understanding, given how late I'm updating this, I'm probably not going to be able to keep up lol.

**Thank you to everyone** reading, and those that added this fic to their alerts and/or favorites!

**Warning:** Marinette's humor gets a bit controversial at the very end, but don't worry, she's not actually going to do it, she's just frustrated.

* * *

**Day Nine: Dreams.** _Alya, Nino, & Adrien;_ in which Marinette has a plan and nothing will stop her.

* * *

**Forget Me Not**

**9: Dinner Date**

"Girl, why?" Alya asked, her face scrunching up half in confusion and half-repulsed by the very idea.

"Seriously," Nino agreed. "The only people in the world that want siblings are the ones that don't have any."

"I think a younger sibling would be nice," Adrien quietly inputted.

Nino only smirked, "Thank you for proving my point."

Adrien frowned at his best friend but couldn't actually argue against him. He didn't have anything but movies and TV shows to go on when it came to sibling relationships. His father's relationship with his own brother was strained, to say the least. He had it on good authority - that is, Nino - that real siblings didn't usually have heart to hearts on a weekly basis. But still!

"You both love your siblings," Marinette argued stubbornly, her arms crossed over her chest. "And I'm ready to accept a new life in the home."

Alya snorted, "You sound like you're planning on having a baby, not getting your parents to have one." Then her brows furrowed, "Wait, why do you need _our_ help with this?"

Marinette hummed nervously, her hands fluttering around before she clasped them before her. She took a deep breath, and used her most convincing class president voice, "The thing is, I tried to have a rational discussion with my parents about it and they said no! Can you believe that?"

"Yes," Alya and Nino said in unison.

"I don't understand," Adrien pushed. "Do you want us to help you convince them?"

"Um, well, no. They probably can't be convinced at all. I was a very carefully planned baby, and they had me at the exact moment in time that they could devote the attention a baby needs despite all their responsibilities. And that's why they never had any other kids. Because they wouldn't have a kid that they couldn't devote their time to."

"Reasonable," Nino nodded.

"Yeah, but, I was thinking. . ."

"Oh boy," Alya whispered under her breath.

Marinette spared a moment to glare at her best friend, but continued undeterred, "Most kids aren't planned. They're just _heat of the moment_, you know? So, I figured, if we just set the mood. . ."

She let them fill in the blanks themselves. There was a quiet confusion for about ten seconds before they understood. Horror and nausea flickered across their faces as Alya cried out, "Oh, my god!"

* * *

No reasonable person would have gone along with Marinette's plan. But no one had ever accused her friends of being reasonable people.

Honestly, the only reason they went along with it was because, for the first time in weeks, she seemed almost like her old self. Or new self, depending on who you asked. Her better, happier self. It wasn't quite the same; she was still tired and strangely anxious about the whole thing, but it was a start.

If a younger sibling was what it took to make her happy, then so be it. Even if Alya and Nino kept clucking their tongues at her.

"It's a _baby_, Marinette," Alya cried even as she helped set up the dining table in the Dupain-Cheng living area. "They cry! And poop! And you'll be the designated babysitter in a heartbeat, what with the fourteen or fifteen year age difference."

"I'm already a babysitter," she argued back. "And I won't have to deal with the crying and the pooping."

"Parents always say they won't ask their kids to co-parent, but then they always do," Nino shouted from where he was installing speakers on the walls.

"Aren't people always saying babies are worth the hassle, though?" Adrien asked from beside him.

"We already told you, only child, you don't get an opinion," Alya stuck her tongue out.

"But I do," Marinette reminded her, placing two taper candles at the center of the table. "And I want my parents to have more than just me around."

Alya stopped folding the wine colored handkerchief. Marinette hadn't given a reason as to why she suddenly developed baby sibling fever beyond 'I want one.' This was the first time she mentioned anything like a replacement child. Her eyes flicked towards Nino and Adrien, and she could see that they were perturbed by the raven-haired girl's words as well. Marinette seemed oblivious to their worry as she placed votive candles strategically around the table.

"Hey," Alya reached out to grab her hand. She was startled out of her concentration, and she blinked up at the redhead. Alya made sure to keep her voice gentle as she prodded, "You don't think you're not enough or something, do you?"

Marinette's eyes widened, her entire body tensing, "Oh, no! That's not it, I promise. It's just I think they'd be lonely if I was gone."

"There's still a few years until we get to university," the redhead reminded her. "And it's not like you have to leave home immediately, either."

"I know," Marinette cast her gaze down, her shoulders hunching but she didn't pull away. Which was a good thing. Probably. "I just think they'd be happier with someone more."

"Well, if all else fails you could always hire Chat Noir back," Nino grinned.

* * *

Her parents took the surprise romantic dinner - and the fact that there were three strange children helping their daughter set it up - in stride. They cooed over the decorations and gratefully accepted the food and pretended they couldn't see four sets of eyes periodically peeking over the kitchen island at them.

"This is taking too long," Marinette grumbled irritably.

"What? They're cute together," Adrien argued, watching the married couple giggle over some bit of gossip Nadja had told Sabine earlier in the day.

"They're not supposed to be cute," the designer hissed, red filling her cheeks.

"What did you want? For them to rip each other's clothes off right there at the table?" Alya questioned before shuddering at the thought.

"Please, no, I've been traumatized enough this year," Nino whined.

The red had spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, but Marinette persisted, "This is what they're like all the time. This isn't going to work."

Her voice cracked on the last word and Nino was sure he saw tears fill her eyes, even as she turned away from them to hunch in on herself. Sighing, he pulled out his phone and looked through his playlists until he could find something appropriate.

"We just need to set the mood a little better," he said confidently as he pressed play.

The quiet ambient music was replaced by a synthpop beat. Tom and Sabine startled, obviously recognizing the song before the words started. _Let's talk about sex, baby. Let's talk about you and me. . ._

"Oh, my god! Nino, really?" Alya glared.

"What? Salt-N-Pepa is classic?"

"Give me that," the redhead growled and snatched the phone. She easily scrolled through his playlists, grinning devilishly as the song changed again.

"Really, Alya?" Nino glared back. "_Careless Whisper?_ That's so cliché."

Adrien snatched the phone next, though it took him longer to find what he was looking for. "Not to worry. I know a song that is synonymous with baby-making," he insisted as the song changed again.

_Can you feel the love tonight? The peace the evening brings._

There was a thump, and they turned to find Marinette had let her weight drop against the kitchen island, her face pressed against the bottom drawer.

"I'm never getting a baby sibling at this rate," she mumbled dazedly. "I'm just going to poke holes in their condoms."

"Marinette, no!"

* * *

**A/N:** You know the theory that in _The Lion King_ Simba and Nala conceived their firstborn during the love song montage? That's what Adrien's referring to.

Please review and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody


	10. Presumptions

**A/N:** I saw the prompt and it screamed Max to me, but I also couldn't figure out what to do because the one time they directly interacted with each other, it was Not Great. So, a short one.

* * *

**Day Ten: Video Games. **_Max;_ in which there are changes and introspection.

* * *

**Forget Me Not**

**10: Presumptions**

Max had spent most of his life believing everybody had a role. Like pieces in a machine, everybody had to do their part to keep everything running smoothly. That wasn't to say that there was no room for eccentricities or differences, just that once people had chosen an role, they could not change.

Max was the nerd. Kim was the jock. Alix was the tomboy. Nathanaёl was the quiet loner. Rose was the happy girly girl. Juleka was the goth. Ivan was the intimidating giant. Mylène was the fearful one. Nino was the hipster. Chloé was the snob. Sabrina, her willing servant. And Marinette was the pariah.

They all did well with their roles. Especially Marinette, who quietly accepted being excluded from the smaller friend groups in the class, and occasionally even brought macaroons from her parents' bakery to prove how okay she was with it.

But then, quite suddenly, that changed.

Marinette was no longer content with being pushed to the sidelines. She yelled at the new kid for - presumably - playing a prank and demanded her seat back. She was voted president of a class that had all but treated her as a leper for years. She won Gabriel Agreste's hat contest, and designed Jagged Stone's album cover.

She beat him at video games.

To be honest, that was the most surprising thing for Max. Because, Alix was quick to point out after the fact, sexism was sort of ingrained in him.

He wouldn't have believed it, because as a nerd, he shouldn't be looking down at others. But, the more he thought about it, the more he realized Alix was right. It _did_ bother him that Marinette, as a girl, was better than him. After all, Adrien had beaten him, too, but he accepted _that_ defeat somewhat gracefully.

He had never apologized for the way he treated her. He had meant to. Alix had chewed him out after an 'appropriate' amount of time had passed for him to enjoy his win, and he honestly meant to apologize.

The moment just never came up, and the more time passed the more awkward bringing it up would feel.

Marinette never made him feel bad for it, either.

Which just worked to make him feel worse whenever he thought of it.

Especially now that everybody was sure there was something going wrong with her. That she was tired, that she was burdened, that she was _hurt_.

It wasn't that Max was silly enough to think that his accidental sexism was causing her hurt months after the fact, but, if there was a chance that he was adding to her burden. . .

He only wanted to make sure everything was good between them. That's why he showed up at the Dupain-Cheng household on a Sunday morning while Marinette was still in her pajamas.

She blinked sleepily at him, blocking the door with her body, the very air around her tinged with grumpiness.

"Video games?" he asked nervously, his extensive vocabulary failing him.

Marinette stared a heartbeat longer, and then smiled. "Sure, come on in!"

* * *

**A/N: **I'm still lowkey bitter about nobody bringing up the very obvious fact that Max focused on _Marinette_ while akumatized in _Gamer _for a reason. We, as the audience, might think it's unfair that she pushed him out of the competition just to spend time with Adrien, but Max only knew a girl beat him. And he focused on her, even though Adrien kicked him down to second place, and ultimately out of the competition.

Like Sabrina, I will probably come back to him so he can have a longer chapter, even if it's shared.

Please review and tell me what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody!


	11. Visionaries

**A/N: **I actually really liked _Sandboy_ because the Tikki and Plagg interactions (and all the kwamis) were adorable! Also, give me more Marinette and Plagg interactions, or give me death.

**Thank you to everyone **reading this fic, and those who have added it to their alerts and/or favorites!

* * *

**Day Eleven: Guardian. **_Tikki & Plagg;_ in which the kwami have different ways of offering comfort.

* * *

**Forget Me Not **

**11: Visionaries**

Tikki was awoken by Marinette screeching just after dawn.

"There's a rat on my face!"

The red being zoomed up to the loft bed, watching her chosen thrash around, blindly waving her arms with her eyes shut tight. There was no sign of any rat. Not that there had ever been an actual mortal rodent within the Dupain-Cheng household. Was it a nightmare then? Marinette had been having plenty of nightmares lately, but none of them were as mundane as attacks by rats.

"Sugar Cube," a familiar voice called out calmly from above. "Please calm your chosen, I just had a rough landing."

His voice seemed to be enough to calm her down. She sat up in bed and blinked up at the tiny catlike creature. "Plagg?"

"What are you doing here?" Tikki questioned, arms wrapped around her torso. "Why aren't you with your chosen? What if there's an attack?"

Plagg floated down towards her, a toothy grin on his face, "My chosen said I'm free to go visit whoever I want whenever I want." He curled around his counterpart, "Besides, it's too early for an attack. Akumas always show up during school hours or late at night. Never the early morning. Even Hawk Moth must like his beauty sleep."

"But why are you here?" Marinette questioned, confusion marring her face for a moment. Then she seemed to startle, "Not that you're not welcome! Of course, you can drop by whenever, I'm sure you must miss Tikki and -"

"Actually, I'm here for you," Plagg interrupted.

"Me?"

He released his hold on Tikki to land on Marinette's lap, "My chosen is starting to worry about you. He might be an oblivious idiot, but even _he_ can tell something's wrong with you."

It helped that he had their class telling him to look for the signs, but Plagg wasn't about to admit that.

"Oh, I hadn't noticed anything different about the way we worked together."

"Not you as Ladybug, you as Marinette," the kwami of destruction corrected. "You're not as good at hiding your feelings when you're yourself."

Marinette slumped forward, her lips pursed, "Sorry, I've been trying."

"Well, don't," he snapped. "Tell him! Tell your blogger friend! Anybody! Or better yet, just forget about Oracular!"

It was just their luck that the one time _Ladybug_ was hit by an akuma attack, leaving Chat Noir scrambling to keep everybody alive until he could snap her out of it, it had been a damned _psychic_ akuma! And of all the things she could have seen, it had to be _that_.

Why couldn't she have seen a vision of Adrien admitting he loved Ladybug? She would have been overjoyed by that! But, of course, they were never that lucky.

Where was all of Tikki's mojo when they needed it?

"How could I forget about it?" Marinette's lower lip wobbled as her voice began to crack. Her eyes quickly filled with tears, but she refused to let them fall. "How can I just pretend I don't know what the future holds for me? How can I just act like I don't know -"

A sob cut her off, and her entire body shook as she struggled to not have a breakdown. Plagg turned towards Tikki, a helpless look in his eyes. She had always been better at the whole comfort thing. He always stuck to giving his chosen a needed kick in the ass when the occasion called for it. And though he was not heartless, and he'd had young, crying women as his chosen before, he couldn't claim to be comfortable with the whole thing.

Tikki made it seem effortless as she cuddled into Marinette's cheek, humming comfortingly, "The future is not set in stone, Marinette. It changes all the time!"

"The moment you see it, you're destined to change it," Plagg added.

"But everything is leading to it. I thought it might have been fake, because we've never had a school dance before, but then Lila and the others wanted one."

"Then just cancel it," Plagg frowned. "Say Damocles wouldn't let you do it on school grounds and you couldn't afford another place. Say your fundraising didn't work. _Just say no!_"

Marinette smiled at the passion he was showing for her wellbeing, "How could I say no? They were so excited about it. And I just had a thought," she turned her face towards the balcony, filled with its multitudes of flowers. "If everything goes as Oracular showed me, then at least I would have given them something nice first."

"You know," Plagg spoke into the somber quiet that followed her declaration. "Jeanne believed that she could speak with God, but actually she just drank some bad milk as a kid."

"_Plagg,_" Tikki chided. "Don't speak ill of the dead. Jeanne d'Arc was a good Ladybug."

"She also believed in fate, and look what happened to her!"

The ladybug kwami glared at her other half, but Marinette snickered amusedly. Plagg gave a lopsided smile, one of his fangs poking out.

"You're not going to be like Jeanne d'Arc, Marinette. We won't let you."

* * *

**A/N: **I wanted to add some more details about Marinette training to be the guardian, but I'm super tired and I have the 6 am shift again tomorrow, so no double post tonight. I'm so sorry!

More clues about what's going on! I think it might be a little obvious at this point, a few people have actually already guessed. BUT**, **I promise you **there will be a happy ending to this fic!** I don't write tragedies for multi-chapter fics, only one shots, because I'm not going to drag you guys along just for the moral of the story to be "life sucks, deal with it."

Please review and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody!


	12. Cellular

**A/N: **I'm still alive! But obviously I failed. Sorry! But thanks for being so kind in your reviews. I've actually been working seven days a week for most of March and April, so I was _exhausted_. I had all the inspiration and none of the will.

Luckily, I got my regular shift back so I should be able to write like usual. **I am absolutely determined to finish this fic.**

* * *

**Day Twelve: Phone Thief. **_Juleka; _in which things might be more than they first appear.

* * *

**Forget Me Not**

**12: Cellular**

Juleka watched Marinette search through her bag for the third time in as many minutes. Each time, her search turned a little more frantic. By now, she looked ready to just turn her bag upside down and let her belongings fall to the floor.

She seemed anxious, lately. More so than usual.

Marinette had always been a little panicky, and Juleka suspected that she might genuinely have issues with anxiety. She just never brought it up because she wasn't a psychiatrist. And, maybe, just a little bit because they had always found the designer's ability to overthink and make a fuss over nothing entertaining.

They didn't mean any harm by it. Besides, just about everybody these days had issues with anxiety, given the state of things in their city.

Still, given everything that had happened, Juleka felt the need to approach the smaller girl.

It was probably nothing, she reasoned as she came to a stop before Marinette. The blue eyed girl didn't even seem to notice.

"Hey, Marinette. Need some help there?"

Marinette's head snapped up, her eyes wide and frantic.

"I - I can't find my phone."

Juleka smiled amusedly. _Obviously nothing_. "Is that all?"

Marinette frowned, "I need it! I was expecting a call about Jagged's donation. Penny's nice but she doesn't have the time to keep calling me all day. If I miss the call, I can kiss the donation goodbye!"

That. . . wasn't what she had expected. Juleka thought she was missing her phone for the same reasons all teenagers did. Because not having your phone on your person felt unnatural in this day and age. She didn't think Marinette actually _needed_ it. But, of course, she had a good reason.

Marinette had announced earlier that day that she'd managed to not only convince Principal Damocles to let them host the party on school grounds, but she would have enough money to open the dance to all the classes thanks to a generous donation from Jagged Stone. All she needed to do was confirm everything over the phone and they'd have everything ready that same day. It was the kind of thing Marinette did as if it were easy, as if it weren't completely wild that she was friends with one of the greatest rock stars in the world.

Juleka was almost certain that everything would work out fine even if Marinette missed the call. Jagged and Penny were fond enough of her that they'd call the next day, or call her parents to make sure she was alright. Heck, Marinette could just show up at his hotel room and everything could resolve itself there.

_That_ was Marinette worrying over nothing.

The fact that her phone disappeared right when she needed it most. . . now _that_ might deserve more investigation.

"Do you remember where you had it last?"

Marinette's eyes flicked over to the side, before biting her lip, "In the classroom."

Juleka turned to see what Marinette had looked over to. She was only a little surprised to see Lila standing there, attempting - and failing - to regale Adrien with some story.

She wasn't sure what it was between them. Alya was all but certain that Marinette was just jealous of how close Lila managed to be with Adrien. Juleka was observant enough to see that Lila wasn't close to him at all. Adrien _endured_ her presence. He seemed to like her only a little bit more than Marinette did, which made Juleka inclined to believe there was a valid reason for their mutual animosity.

And it _was_ mutual. Juleka was also observant enough to note that Lila's smiles were more strained when directed towards Marinette. That the Italian tended to exclude the designer from whatever story she was telling. That she made plans 'for the entire class' when Marinette wasn't in the room.

But there had never been anything openly hostile between them.

It might have been something as simple as them both liking the same guy. Marinette might be jealous of the ease with which Lila spoke to and touched Adrien. Lila might be jealous of how much more genuine Adrien's smiles were for Marinette than for her.

It might be something deeper. Some dark, insidious secret that none of them were privy to.

It might be something shallow. They could not like each other just because they didn't. Sometimes, people met and just didn't _click_. Maybe they were enemies in a past life!

Juleka wasn't sure, and until she had the full story, she wasn't inclined to take anybody's side.

But, just this once, she was willing to overlook her own principles in order to help her friend. Marinette was visibly shaking, her breath coming in short and sharp inhales. She looked a second away from having a nervous breakdown, and Juleka wasn't about to let that happen.

"I'll hold her down and you search her."

Marinette blinked confusedly at her, "What?"

"Lila," she clarified. "I'll hold her down, and you search her pockets and bags for your phone."

Marinette's lips thinned, and Juleka could tell her instinct was to protest. Lots of things could go wrong if it turned out Marinette had simply misplaced her phone. Juleka shrugged, telling her without words that it was up to her.

Marinette closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm herself. When they opened again, they were filled with determination. "Okay then, let's go."

* * *

**A/N: **Juleka casually advocating criminal behavior is my new favorite thing! She's really a ride or die friend, and I respect that.

I'm actually going to try to post more than one chapter per day starting tomorrow, so that it won't be June while I'm still updating this, but, obviously it'll still be well into May by the time we finish. As long as nothing worse happens. Here's hoping!

Please let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody


	13. Falling

**A/N: **Super early (for me) update, because I actually have the afternoon/night shift today. Unfortunately, that means I only managed to fit one chapter in today.

But hey! This is the part where you find out what Oracular showed Marinette that I promised wouldn't take too long because it was meant to be published on the thirteenth day. Sorry, LOL.

Also, I know I kind of cheated, since the prompt is meant to be about an akumatized version of Marinette, but if I ever do an akuma!Marinette it's going to be the whole fic because you know she'd be the biggest badass ever! So, I took it to mean her tendency to be unfairly targeted by akumas.

**Thanks to everyone** still reading this fic and who have added it to their alerts and/or favorites!

* * *

**Day Thirteen: Akumanette. **_Chat Noir;_ in which secrets are revealed.

* * *

**Forget Me Not**

**13: Falling **

A part of him thought he should have seen this coming. Given the fragile, glasslike, melancholy air that seemed to wrap itself around Marinette, it was almost inevitable that Hawk Moth would intervene. She was the perfect target, with enough pent up aggression, he knew, thanks to Lila, and a shrewd intelligence that would probably make her unstoppable in the battlefield.

A part of Chat Noir had been preparing to meet his princess as an enemy for weeks. He would save her, even if he couldn't fight her. He would, at least, make sure Ladybug didn't hurt her too bad while they took her down.

It wasn't all that surprising when the akuma appeared on school grounds. Marinette had marched into the locker room, pulling at her pigtails with enough force Adrien was worried she would pull her hair out by the roots. She was under a lot of stress as things for the dance began to come together, and she had seemed to snap when Lila insisted there needed to be a theme. Which meant that the generic party decorations Marinette had already bought were for naught.

Marinette walked into the locker room, and minutes later, a winged, harpy-like akuma flew out, screeching in anger about too much pressure.

It wasn't that surprising that there was an akuma.

What was surprising was that it wasn't Marinette. He thought it was, but then he noticed the akuma had somebody clutched in their taloned feet. A small girl with pink pants and pigtails. Marinette screamed as the akuma flew up towards the sky through the open courtyard with her in its grip.

Adrien had enough time to transform into Chat Noir before the akuma released Marinette from its grip. Her scream of terror pierced through the school, making everyone freeze for a moment.

Chat Noir extended his baton, lifting himself upwards. He wrapped an arm around her waist where they met in the air, her momentum pulling him down with her. He tightened his grip on the baton to slow their descent, and jumped into a roll before they reached the ground.

He breathed a sigh of relief as they skidded to a stop, luckily with him on the ground and Marinette on top of him. He sat up quickly and Marinette wrapped her arms around his shoulders, burying her face in the crook of his neck. His lips quirked as he wondered if she thought they were still falling.

"It's okay, Marinette, you're safe now."

She didn't respond. Instead, her grip around him tightened.

"Marinette?"

He couldn't help but worry. He had seen her deal with akumas before, and even if she was smart enough to get out of their way as quickly as possible, she had never struck him as scared. Now she seemed terrified. He could feel her entire body trembling and heard her sniffle quietly.

"Mari-"

"I fell," her voice was barely audible. "That's what Oracular showed me. I fell here in the courtyard, and you tried. . . but you weren't fast enough. I fell and I died and you were the last thing I saw."

His stomach plummeted at her words. Oracular was one of the few akumas that had managed to hit Ladybug, and it had seemed to leave her unnerved in a way no other akuma attack ever had. She hadn't wanted to talk about what she saw, but if it was anything like Marinette's vision, it made sense. There didn't seem to be any real consensus as to what Oracular's attack did. Some people insisted it showed them the future, but those tended to be the ones that saw positive things like Mylène. Others insisted that they were just hallucinations and others didn't want to talk about them at all.

But it _couldn't_ be the future.

"It's okay now," he tried to sound soothing, but was surprised when his voice caught in his throat. He ran a hand down her back, "I caught you, it's fine."

"Not now," she insisted. "It wasn't now."

He wanted to ask her how she was so sure, but then Alya was running up to them. For once, she wasn't recording the akuma attack, too focused on her best friend who had been moments away from death. Besides, he still needed to go help defeat the would-be murderer.

He handed Marinette over to the redhead, though it took a little effort to make her give up her grip on him. He gave her hand a quick squeeze and waited until she looked up at him, "Don't worry. I won't ever let you fall, I promise."

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**A/N: **Even though Marinette is incredibly brave (all these kids are, to be honest), I think basically having a preview of her foretold death would leave her shaken. Especially given how on edge she's been throughout the fic.

Also, a few people actually guessed what the vision was, so **shout out to: **Mayuralover, Katsa Graceling, and at least two guests who all guessed the vison was of Marinette's death.

But, like, don't worry, I am very much in the "there is no fate but what we make" camp.

Please review and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody


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